MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Richard Schaut, an English teacher at Middletown High School, has been selected as the 2012-13 Lake County Teacher of the Year.
Tim Gill, senior director of educational services at Lake County Office of Education, announced Schaut's selection.
Schaut will represent Lake County in the upcoming California Teacher of the Year competition.
Schaut holds a bachelor’s degree in English from University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in humanities, language and literature from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
He has been an instructor at Middletown High School since 1990 and currently teaches English 12, AP English Composition, Honors English 11 and English 9, as well as philosophy.
“Students know three things will happen when they go into Mr. Schaut’s classroom: 1) There will be energy from the teacher that will start before the bell and will run until the echo of the final bell that day; 2) As a student they will be challenged to open their mind and not be afraid to get better; and 3) Both the teacher and the student become better as a result of the interaction,” said Middletown High School Principal Bill Roderick.
Schaut explains his teaching viewpoint best. “Today my philosophy of teaching is that to teach well, we must love our subject, we must love learning, we must love the process of teaching, and we must genuinely care about our students. To do this well we must have patience, we must practice, and we must be persistent, both as teachers and as students. Teaching is about building relationships and explaining processes, passing on what we know to be true.”
Each year the school districts in the county select one exemplary teacher as their district teacher of the year. A committee of community leaders then interviews these candidates.
The criteria for selection of the Lake County Teacher of the Year is based upon the state and national requirements, which include professional development activities, commitment to the improvement of the educational system, personal attributes, creativity and ability to communicate ideas effectively, and professional skills in delivering curriculum and instruction to students.
This year’s selection committee members were Pamela Bordisso, Tim Gill, Marilyn Grock, Nyla Norris and Richard Smith.
The outstanding district teachers of the year for 2012-12 are Matthew Carpenter, Kelseyville Unified School District; Valerie Duncan, Upper Lake Union Elementary District; Teresa Dunne, Upper Lake Union High District; and Stacy Holland, Lakeport Unified School District.
Also acknowledged for excellence in teaching is Marlene Henry, Konocti Unified School District.
Schaut and the district teachers of the year will be honored for their exceptional achievement at an event this fall.
For more information on the upcoming award dinner, please contact Shelly Mascari at the Lake County Office of Education, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .